282 



Soil Inoculation. 



[AUG., 



by the Central Society, the officers of which can always be 

 consulted by the local officials on any point of difficulty 

 which may arise. These privileges are much prized, and the 

 Belgian Government recognises the value of the inspection of 

 the books by allowing a grant of £i for each society visited for 

 this purpose. 



A new branch of business about to be undertaken by this 

 society is the arranging of loans on mortgage for long terms. 

 An account of this proposal, which was authorised in November, 

 1903, was given by Dr. Vliebergh, Secretary of the " Boerenbond" 

 to the Sixth International Co-operative Congress, 1904, from 

 which it appears that the Central Society intends to raise 

 money by debentures to be lent on mortgage. The method 

 of procedure is for the intending borrower to apply for a loan 

 to his local society, to whom he and his property are known. 

 It values the farm, enquires into the title, and, if it approves, 

 sends the application on, together with the deeds and its valua- 

 tion, to the Central Bank. If the latter approves, it advances 

 the money on the joint security of the applicant's property and 

 the local society's endorsement. The Central Bank has also 

 power to deal directly with individuals, because there is not 

 •a local society in every parish. The rate of interest charged 

 is 3^ per cent, to the local society through whom the money is 

 advanced, who charge the borrowing member 3I per cent. 

 When a loan is made direct and not through a local society 

 the charge is 3I per cent. 



Accounts have already appeared in this Journal* of the 

 recent investigations into the question of soil inoculation for the 

 Soil growth of leguminous crops, which have 



Inoculation. been macle both in Germany and the 

 United States. Experiments are now in 

 progress at most of the agricultural experimental stations in this 

 country for the purpose of testing the efficiency of the material 

 both in the field and in the laboratory, but it cannot be said that 

 the preliminary reports, so far received, are encouraging. In 



* " Recent Experiments in Soil Inoculation," Journal, Sept., 1904, p. 348 ; Feb., 

 1905, p. 669 ; " Soil Inoculation in the United States," March, 1905, p. 725. 



